Network News

Get the Morning Fix and the new Afternoon Fix delivered to your inbox or mobile device for easy access to the top political stories of the day. All you need is one click to get Morning Fix and Afternoon Fix!

"Though the media has tried to portray some sort of feud or bad blood between Lisa and myself, such is not the case," Palin wrote. "I've always wished her well, but it is my firm belief that we need a bold reformer who is not afraid to stand up to special interests and take on the tough challenges of our time."

A Palin aide said that the former Alaska governor may do an event for Miller down the line, although nothing is currently planned.

While Palin sought to downplay the idea of any ill will between the two families, it is extremely uncommon for a governor (or former governor) to endorse against an incumbent in a primary fight -- unless that incumbent is scandal-plagued or unelectable. Murkowski is neither.

This episode also fits neatly into a running storyline about the feud between the two families.

When Palin resigned the governorship last year, Lisa Murkowski said she was disappointed that Palin had decided to "abandon the state and her constituents." And, First Dude Todd Palin had already endorsed Miller's challenge to Murkowski back in May and has held a fundraiser for him as well.

So, yeah, it's not exactly warm and fuzzy between the two families up in the Last Frontier.

In her Facebook note today, Palin praised Miller, calling him a "man of true integrity" and touting his positions on several issues including abortion, immigration and cap-and-trade legislation as more closely in line with Alaskans' values.

The candidate is a decided underdog in his challenge against Murkowski, who was sitting on over $2 million cash-on-hand at the end of the first quarter of the year. Democrats have a primary on their side but the seat is not anywhere close to their target list.

A statement from Steve Wackowski, a spokesperson for Murkowski's campaign, makes no mention of Palin or Miller.

"Lisa fights every day for Alaska and has a proven track record and commitment to serving our State, and she fully plans to campaign for the privilege to continue to serve the best interests of Alaska," the statement reads. "She is the best candidate to stay on the job and get things done."

Twelve years ago when Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) was running for Senate, the San Francisco Examiner uncovered that his Army record was in doubt:

Issa's Army record in doubt
Candidate's account can't be verified
Lance Williams, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Friday, May 29, 1998

(05-29) 04:00 PDT CALIFORNIA -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Darrell Issa says that during the Vietnam War he served with an elite Army bomb unit, traveling with then-President Richard Nixon to protect him from harm.

He attended baseball's World Series in 1971 as part of the president's security entourage, Issa once told an interviewer.

But military records obtained by The Examiner and interviews with former soldiers cast doubt on the stories the millionaire executive-turned-politician tells about his Army days.

The records show that Issa's service on what he terms an

"Army security team" amounted to less than six months on a bomb-disposal squad in 1971. That's scant experience to qualify him for presidential security duty, former GI bomb experts say.

Issa couldn't have guarded Nixon at the World Series because the president didn't attend, according to the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda.

According to records and interviews, Issa's service on the bomb squad was marred by a bad conduct rating, a demotion and allegations that he had stolen a fellow soldier's car.

And although Issa's campaign biography says he served nine years in the Army before leaving to make his fortune in the electronics business, the records show he served for five years and three months: as an enlisted man during 1970-1972, and as a lieutenant from 1976 to 1980.

Between 1972 and 1976, he was a college student in an Army ROTC program, records show.

Issa declined to be interviewed for this story. A spokesman said Issa accurately has described his military past and had compiled a distinguished service record. But one former GI says he has a different memory of Issa.

"That kid stole my car out of the parking lot and took it to Cleveland, and I knew he did it," said retired 1st Sgt. Jay Bergey, who served with Issa in 1971 on the 145th Ordnance Detail, an Army bomb squad stationed near Pittsburgh.

"I confronted Issa. . .. . I got in his face and threatened to kill him, and magically my car reappeared the next day, abandoned on the turnpike," the retired soldier said in a phone interview from his home in Pennsylvania.

Issa was not prosecuted and "he left the unit very shortly after that," the former soldier said.

In 1776 the constitution was a revolutionary document written for 2.4 million colonists. In 2010, the 1776 constitution must apply to 307 million citizens. To keep the constitution “revolutionary”, to duplicate the governance of 1776, today, the 90 congresspersons of 1776 must be 12,000 congresspersons in 2010.

The 2010 congress is an elected oligarchy, not a republic, and not a democracy. The difference between 90 congresspersons and 12,000 congresspersons is the difference between democracy and oligarchy. America lacks governance.

The Tea Party sees it. Americans, today, are taxed without 1776 representation. This is why the Tea Party wants to “take back America”. 12,000 more congresspersons is not big government. The pentagon (26,000 employees) and the IRS (93,000 employees) are big government. Huge pyramidal bureaucracies are the organizational structure of oligarchy posing as democracy. America lacks governance.

Far left wing democrats see it. They want “bigger government”. 12,000 congresspersons is “bigger government” and Tea Party “smaller” at the same time. Both political factions are unhappy for the same reason. America lacks governance.

When service in a restaurant suffers, more waiters are hired. When crime becomes rampant, more police are hired. When democracies falter, more congresspersons are hired. America lacks governance.

I thought this was pretty funny and hey, we can all use a good laugh these days, right?

Sarah Palin has been whining all over the place about author Joe McGinniss, calling him a stalker for renting the house next door while he's writing a book about her. And of course Fox hacks like Steve Doocy have been whipping themselves into a self-righteous frenzy, while ABCNews breathlessly regurgitates Palin's "stalker" narrative.

Turns out there's a little more to the story. From Gawker:

Earlier this year, Palin used her clout with Alaska State Police to get 16-year-old Willow Palin off the hook after she and some high school buddies trashed a vacant home during a bender. The other kids were hung out to dry, and Alaska's Mat-Su Valley boiled at the injustice of Willow's preferential treatment. We warned that Palin should watch her back lest small-town high school drama explode in national scandal.

So, another instance of the Lamestream Media trying to ruin Sarah Palin's life, right? Actually, it appears this whole situation was orchestrated by a vengeful neighbor. McGinniss' son said in an email reprinted by Politico that his dad was offered the spot by Palin's neighbor because the Palins owed her money:

"A woman was renting her house and sought out the author because the Palins had crossed her (owed her money for renovations she had done at their request and never paid her for). So she knew McGinniss was writing the book and found him and offered him the house."

The Palins apparently tried renting the place all winter to head off any Liberals. Not only did her neighbor refuse, she called up McGinniss and was like, "Hey, got this awesome house right across from Sarah Palin. Want?" There's no purer form of small-town drama than the stiffed contractor out for non-monetary revenge. Unlike those in New York or LA, where the elitists settle their labor disputes with fancy lawyers, small-town builders have the means to hit back in way more satisfying ways. (Momof3wildkids points out that the email may actually be saying that Palin asked her neighbor to fix up her own house, promised to pay for it, then stiffed her in the end. Nervy!)

Palin's rise was based on a creation myth that had her springing from a fantasy Real America that loves guns and embryos and hates immigrants and socialists. But the Real America Palin really inhabits just wants her to stop acting like a diva and to cough up the 1500 bucks or whatever she owes them for building her deck. Do not cross your people, Sarah Palin! Your speaking career and presidential prospects don't stand a chance against their hard-won sense of frontier justice. Installing a sworn enemy in your own backyard is just the beginning. They will destroy you.

Is Palin going to back that endorsement with some money? SarahPAC has taken in something like $3 million, but almost all of that money seems to be going to more fund raising and the operation of the PAC. She hasn't even gotten out of the 5 figures in total contributions to candidates, and I think that is one of the stated peurposes of the PAC.

juanchin wrote,
"Palin reminds me of one of those high school girls that walked around thinking they were the world. They had their click and thought the we all owed them something. They also thought everyone wanted them and wanted to be them."

-------

Sounds like you had a pretty rough time as a youngster. Lots of bitterness there.
"Only God my dear, can love you for yourself alone and not your yellow hair."---W.B. Yeats

Noacoler wrote,
"bimbo: you got a more charitable way to say it? What else would you call an ignorant tramp who thinks she's ready for one of the top slots but can't even speak a coherent sentence?"

I'd probably call her Nancy P.

"Coffee <--- smell it. For two years now the DNC has been imploring Nancy P. to get boned and to educate herself on the issues she rants about, and she still hasn't cracked a book, still hasn't done even any light lifting---just face lifting and botox injections. SHE'S A BIMBO. And that's a fact."

dennispro wrote,
"November can't get here soon enough. I can't wait for the liberal insults and name calling to turn to excuses and accusations. We already know that when Conservatives take back power in the house or senate or both that we will be accused of stealing the election… that is in the playbook already."

-------

If things go as expected, you'll probably learn that some of the liberals on this blog---like Drindl and Noacoler---were found dangling from beams in their basements the day after the election.

Interesting that you would make such an assumption. Some of the richest self made billionaires are Democrats or support democratic agendas. As for me, as I was telling 2010Rout I probably pay more in taxes in one year than he makes in ten years... In your case I would imaging in your lifetime. Very few people are as lucky as Sarah Palin to be stupid and successful and when they are it is usually because they take advantage of even stupider people

Posted by: rcc_2000 | June 2, 2010 4:48 PM
-------

Typical liberal on the dole making up wild success stories from his momma's basement.
If Sarah is successful because she takes advantage of stupider people, then you're pretty much S.O.L. since no one could possibly be stupider than you.

Yawn, Caribou Barbie the Alaskan Quitter wants somebody for some office somewhere; like she matters?

I wonder if Sen. Murkowski's opposition to unanimous consent to raise the liability limits for oil companies was in keeping with "Alaskan values" or just some more overt GOP shilling for Big Oil? What does the Quitter have to say about that, eh?

Just how in the world would Palin know what a true conservative is anyway? She spends money, and some of it not even her's, like water. She hasn't the common sense of a gerbil and I, as a female, am embarassed each and everytime she speaks. She is the poster woman for why men want to keep the Glass Ceiling in place. If I were a candidate, I'd run from her support.

The lack of honesty and intolerance of green extremists, the cracks in the EU, the renewal of Jimmah Carter’s foreign policy by the one. All the disappointment brought to you by the Neocom Statist socialists whose establishment of Heaven on earth was to be ushered in by those who deemed themselves so wise and so moral, ala drindl, that they could reshape civilization in their image — even if that sometimes meant the end of unbiased research, basic arithmetic, and simple common sense.

Goldang, nothing brings out the kettle-whistle rage like a good Sarah Palin post.

I'll not involve myself in that debate, but I will take a minute to give a shout out to Noacoler for pointing out just how empty the term "common sense" is when used in politics. No matter which side uses it, more often than not, it's just a crutch to weasel out of giving justification for one's actions or beliefs, and it feeds into the desires of the ignorant to remain as ignorant as possible.

It is hilarious to watch the Palin People defend their queen. This woman is nuts and scary. She really does ignite pure hate and the haters come out of the wood work to spew her garbage. Palin reminds me of one of those high school girls that walked around thinking they were the world. They had their click and thought the we all owed them something. They also thought everyone wanted them and wanted to be them. I don't really think this woman grew up. She is very immature and their is one thing Lisa Murkowski has that she doesn't . . . CLASS!
PLEASE PALIN RUN FOR PREZ!!!!

When will Democraps get it through your thick heads that Barry “there she blows” Obama has hi-jacked your party platform. There is no more DP Platform. It's now called the D Bagger Platform and Rham, Rodaxel, and Chris Mathews are now in charge of it.
That's what you Demo’s get for trusting Pelosi , Reid, and Madcow to run and lead your party platform.

When will Rethuglican's get it through your thick heads that Sarah the Barracuda has hi-jacked your party platform. There is no more GOP Platform. It's now called the Tea Bagger Platform and Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh are now in charge of it.

That's what you Rethuglican's get for trusting Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck to run and lead your party platform.

For the Dem's, it works both ways, when they contest better candidates and better ideas come out. For the Repubs, it works great for the Dems because the R's are so busy fighting for the far right that the silliest, most extreme candidate ends up running. Since currently that seems to automatically translate to Politicians who are absolutely hell bent on doing it their way, thery are much more likely to talk their way into being the Republican candidate, followed by talking their way out of any chance for victory.

Posted by: rcc_2000
-------------------------------------
Get back on your bicycle and start looking for a job.
Posted by: leapi

---

Interesting that you would make such an assumption. Some of the richest self made billionaires are Democrats or support democratic agendas. As for me, as I was telling 2010Rout I probably pay more in taxes in one year than he makes in ten years... In your case I would imaging in your lifetime. Very few people are as lucky as Sarah Palin to be stupid and successful and when they are it is usually because they take advantage of even stupider people

Kids, When you get a job and start paying for the failures of you political religious beliefs, talk to me... Living in the land of Oz is the problem with the left, You have no common sense! I am sure your Dads and Moms have all told you that, someday it will sink in. The education system in America has failed you! Ask for a refund!

Posted by: 2010Rou

----

LOL! I probably pay more in TAXES than you make in 10 years (statistically speaking, and based on your inability to actually think for yourself.

November can't get here soon enough. I can't wait for the liberal insults and name calling to turn to excuses and accusations. We already know that when Conservatives take back power in the house or senate or both that we will be accused of stealing the election… that is in the playbook already.

Go ahead and badmouth all you want. It just shows the world how weak and afraid you really are. If Sarah Palin is the kiss of death to a candidate then why point it out? I would think that you would want to sit back, keep quiet, and hope she endorsed everyone that you were afraid of…. because it is obvious that you are afraid and lashing out in the only way that your little minds will allow…. insults and name calling.

"When you get a job you will realize that you leave the final edit to small people like you..."

No offense, but what the heck does this EVEN MEAN? Are you reading what you write before you post? It says he’ll get a job and then he will leave the edits to himself??? Makes no sense what-so-ever.

PAY ATTENTION and think before you post -- you are losing any credibility you may have had. Seriously dude, you are not helping your cause. There are many of us who want to understand the right’s point of view, but it is so often convoluted and full of fear that any potential message gets lost. Just one suggestion – THINK. Try it – you might like it.

Kids, When you get a job and start paying for the failures of you political religious beliefs, talk to me... Living in the land of Oz is the problem with the left, You have no common sense! I am sure your Dads and Moms have all told you that, someday it will sink in. The education system in America has failed you! Ask for a refund!

"teabager" is the term for a sexual act.. Fox did not start the term nor do members of the Tea Party use it to describe themselves... You are soo ignorant! It is a political attack by the brownshirts of the left to mock and diminish their adversary.. It is the only thing they have as they fail with all their arguments... Namecalling is the only thing liberals are good at doing... People who use the term are the useful idiots of the left.

Posted by: 2010Rout

----

Ahhh what a hypocrite you are!!! You accuse me of name calling, etc and you go and do EXACTLY what you accuse others of doing!!! How typical of the ignorant right wing.

Okay lets stick to the facts.. Palin quit her responsibilities to the People of Alaska so that she could make money from people like you. She has demonstrated time and time again a lack of understanding on how the Federal government works, the Constitution (she did not even know the responsibilities of being VP!!!)and even simple geography. Palin appeals to people in the Tea Party, the Tea Party is the bastion of bigots based on posts and demonstrators at their rallies. Palin intentionally misrepresents facts such as her "death panels" comments because she knows her "base" is just too p-lain stupid to know better. Palin is smart, she took the great BT Barnum quote to heart "there is a sucker born every minute" and you are one of those people if you believe the stuff she says. There are some very smart conservatives such as George Will but these "intellectuals" which the tea baggers disdain are too smart for the neo-nazi mob called the tea party.

Basically "tea bagger" is appropriate because the sexual act it represents is what they are doing to America.

If I recall correctly, After Sarah helped Frank Murkowski win the govenorship, she was on his public short list of 3 people to replace him as U.S. Senator for Alaska. He passed her over and gave it to his daughter Lisa. Hence the beginning of a family feud to rival the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Hey 2010, know what a strawberry shortcake is? You better not order one in Red Lobster because that's a sexual act too.

And with "brownshirts" you show yourself to be completely ridiculous. Nobody needs to diminish the teabaggers, they're already pegged against the right pin on the idiocy meter. They're intimidating the GOP into nominating candidates who can't win, as self-destructive and self-marginalizing as anyone could be.

Mock them? You could only wish. We're laughing at them. We're glad as hell to see them pushing the GOP the rest of the way over the cliff. And when the guns come out we'll enjoy seeing them rounded up and put into prison.

"teabager" is the term for a sexual act.. Fox did not start the term nor do members of the Tea Party use it to describe themselves... You are soo ignorant! It is a political attack by the brownshirts of the left to mock and diminish their adversary.. It is the only thing they have as they fail with all their arguments... Namecalling is the only thing liberals are good at doing... People who use the term are the useful idiots of the left.

teabaggers: I don't get your problem with this at all. Isn't that what they call themselves? And hey, if they want to run around with Lipton dangling from their ears and their Cat Diesel caps, then calling them teabaggers is no more offensive than any other obvious verbal shorthand. Unless you want to claim that the all-but-unknown sexual reference is intended, but I bet not one in a thousand has ever heard of that, so quit whining.

bimbo: you got a more charitable way to say it? What else would you call an ignorant tramp who thinks she's ready for one of the top slots but can't even speak a coherent sentence?

Coffee <--- smell it. For two years now the GOP has been imploring her to bone up on the facts, to educate herself on the issues she rants about, and she still hasn't cracked a book, still hasn't done even any light lifting. SHE'S A BIMBO. And that's a fact.

Right now, Murkowski, (R-AK) is fighting for Increased Offshore Drilling and Stalling and Blocking Oil Company Reparations among other Criminal Actions against the People of America; which makes her perfect for the TP too.

The Tea Party has a Clear Allegiance: The Rich, Oil and Coal

The Tea Party is fighting for what's best for Wall Street Criminals, for Oil and Coal Industry Negligence resulting in Deaths and Pollution, and the Policies that allow them to continue doing so Without Oversight or Regulation.

Why isn’t the Tea Party organizing and demonstrating against Industries causing the Deaths and Lost Livelihoods of Millions of Americans? Why aren't they protesting Lack of Regulation against Wall Street, Oil and Coal companies that are Killing People and caused the Financial Devastation of Millions of Americans? Why aren't they protesting against BP and Halliburton's Gross Negligence in the destruction of Multi-Billion dollar Tourism and Commercial Fishing Industries in the Gulf Coast Oil disaster?

Because the Companies Responsible is who Started, Fund and Direct Tea Party actions.

The primary funding sources for the Tea Party are two conservative groups:

“Americans for Prosperity” and “FreedomWorks”

which receive substantial funding from David Koch of Koch Industries, the largest privately-held energy company in the country, and the conservative Koch Family Foundations. Koch industries are responsible for hundreds of Oil spills spread over multiple states.

Teabagger was first coined by FOX, of course, like always, they failed to research the term (a simple web search could have done the trick). And I agree "Bimbo" is not quite on target more like evil witch (replace "w" with "b"). Bimbos everywhere would be insulted. Well I take that back the definition of "Bimbo" is A woman regarded as vacuous or as having an exaggerated interest in her sexual appeal so maybe it somewhat applies (nothing bigoted about that, but teabaggers rarely know the definition of anything for example socialism.

Queen Sarah accounts to no one. Of course, Murkowski is as unqualified as former half term semi-governor Sarah. Murkowski just traded on daddy's name just as Sarah leeched on to the feeble while knifing Mccain's chances. The only thing worse is if Murkowski moves next door, then she'll get death threats too.

Didn't this dumb tramp use the same "commonsense conservative" line for her last half-dozen endorsements?

And in case anyone didn't know, "common sense" is more dog-whistle, used to salve the insecurity of uneducated, ignorant lowbrows who lack the intellectual means to deal with actual issues or the facts to try to. They're not smart, they don't know much of anything, but they can tell themselves they have "common sense." See Bush, George W. and "gut."

The real question is why anyone is still paying attention to this rabble-rousing bimbo.

Every time the teabaggers defeat a solid Republican candidate, they truncate Republican potential in 2010 and in the future.

Polls show that 75% of Americans strongly disagree with the teabaggers, even though 85% of teabaggers think of themselves as centrists. Nearly half of Republicans do not like the teabaggers.

If Republicans become a party that can only appeal to a rump base, it means they are ceding 3/4 of voters to Democrats, or inviting 3rd party centrists, namely non-teabagger Republicans, to run like Crist. In either case, it means that in the short run, Democrats will dominate the US government, and in the long run the GOP may split in two.

You can choose ideological purity, or you can choose electability, but it's very difficult to have both at the same time.

I suspect not being endorsed by Palin will boost Murkowski's popularity.

Even among Alaskans who agree with Palin's politics, some are likely to be less than pleased by her decision to resign mid-term. That action sent Alaskans a pretty clear message about where they fall in Palin list of who/what she considers important.

a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance

Good luck with the GED

Posted by: 2010Rout | June 2, 2010 3:15 PM
_________________________________
A little reading comprehension problem, eh? He asked WHICH WAY? As in which way is Chris (not the author of the article, BTW) being partisan?

It's hard to see Lisa Murkowski not being easily reelected this year. There is no Democrat with a shot to win, and Miller isn't likely to beat out Murkowski at all. I don't even know if Palin had ran the primary, if Palin would have beaten Murkowski. In a poll conducted on May 20, Murkowski lead Palin in a hypothetical matchup 57%-33%. Murkowski looks like she's on the way to reelection no matter who Palin has endorsed.